WAFC Local News – July 17, 2026, 8:06 AM
Transcript
I’m Charles Murphy reporting. Palm Beach County Commissioners voted 5-1 late Wednesday to reject an expansion plan tied to Project Tango. It followed more than 12 hours of testimony. The project was a proposed hyperscale data center near Wellington. Residents and environmental groups raised concerns about noise, heat, water use, and the project’s proximity to homes, a school, and the Everglades. Developers argued the site was designed to limit off-site impacts and it could bring jobs and tax revenue. The decision could influence future data center proposals across South Florida. A 41-year-old Clewiston man facing charge of aggravated battery on a person detained in jail. Yoandri Pramil Rivas got into a physical altercation with the victim. The victim had called him a sex offender. Pramil Rivas says that the man continued to bully him, he got tired of it, and he punched him with a closed fist. A 43-year-old Clewiston man is facing charges of sending written threats to commit bodily injury. The incident happened at the Holiday Inn Express on July 4th. The victim says Patrick Crumpton sent threatening text messages after he beat on his room door and attempted to get in. The text messages stated, I will harm you, I’m going to kill you, I will give you what you deserve, and I’m bringing death. He was later located at another motel in Clewiston and taken into custody. He was also charged with committing a public nuisance. A 24-year-old Clewiston woman, Patricia Hernandez Lozema, is charged with aggravated child abuse. Henry County deputies investigating an alleged domestic that involved alcohol. The argument may have stemmed over the spouse not willing to purchase diapers. The suspect allegedly held the child by the neck saying she was going to injure the baby. She was also charged with misdemeanor battery. EMS did check on the condition of the child and they did not transport the child. The Department of Children and Families will now investigate. A Belgrade man sentenced to three years in prison for a shooting last June. 53-year-old Lorenzo Green was arrested on June 17 of 25 for attempted murder and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. The incident was initially reported as a self-inflicted accidental shooting, but the victim later disclosed that Green had shot her in the leg during a cocaine-fueled argument. He pled guilty to felony battery and felon in possession of a firearm. He also gets five years probation. The city of LaBelle looking to convert the Civic Center into commission chambers and offices. They’d like to centralize facilities and make the city a one-stop shop. The old commission chambers would be turned into offices. The maintenance department could take over a portion of the Civic Center. The city is trying to get state funding to have a hurricane shelter in the past. Mayor Julie Wilkins says the Civic Center is not making enough revenue to pay for itself. It’s a hole in the wall we put money into. South Bay Commissioner Barbara King concerned that Cox Park was not secure and people were going into the property now being renovated at their risk. She says she’s concerned people could get hurt and the city would be sued. That area is not secured at all and that’s a big liability on the city if some child goes out there and then fall into that hole and get hurt. I’m Charles Murphy, WAFC News.
Recorded from the WAFC daily newscast (Glades Media).